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Cleveland State’s Gary Waters gets seven-year extension

Cleveland State University continues to build toward the future, erecting buildings by the day. Helping provide a little more certainty on the road to come, the Division I program opted to extend men’s basketball coach Gary Waters for seven more years, keeping him with the Vikings through the 2018-19 season, the Associated Press reports.

With the season set to tip off on Friday, the Vikings will look to maintain their status as a prominent mid-major program. Waters has led the Vikings to the postseason in four of the past five seasons. Cleveland State has had four 20-plus-win seasons and won two Horizon League championships (2009, 2011) under Waters, named the league’s top coach in 2008. He took a Cleveland State program — led by guard Cedric Jackson and forward J’Nathan Bullock — to its second NCAA tournament in 2009, when they upset the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first round.

Potentially even more telling: Per the AP, of the 19 seniors who have come through Cleveland State’s program with Waters in charge, all have graduated.

“I am excited about the commitment that Cleveland State has made to me and my family,” Waters said. “With this vote of confidence, it will allow me to basically finish out my career here at Cleveland State. I love Cleveland and I love Cleveland State University and it’s a marriage made in heaven. I look forward to the challenges and goals we will set to continue to make this a very successful program.”

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“Per the AP, of the 19 seniors who have come through Cleveland State’s program with Waters in charge, all have graduated.” In my opinon, this stat is as impressive, if not more, than his record on the court. Congrats to you Coach Waters.